A group of 28 people affiliated with Deerfield's Christ United Methodist Church recently became home builders for a week.

The group pitched in to build houses in the Appalachian region of Tennessee the week of March 27 and helped a family of eight move closer to their goal of owning a new home.

Pastor Brian Roots said the project started in the fall when the church began to raise the $21,500 necessary to construct the home through the Appalachia Service Project. An equal amount of funds also came from grants.

Along with the home in Bristol, Tenn., members of the group also helped build a house in Johnson City, Tenn. and worked in a warehouse sorting tools for the Appalachia Service Project.

"Our group had too many people to all work at one site," Roots said.

Some of the projects are completely new homes built from scratch while others are renovations improving or enlarging a place where people already live in substandard housing.

"We build them homes that are warmer, drier and safer than what they have," Roots said.

The Bristol project's completion date is May 31 as other groups will volunteer their time to move the effort along.

Living in the home will be a couple and six others, including several children, Nicol said. He said some of the inspiration the Deerfield based group felt came from the couple.

"The man worked right beside us when he was not working at his job," Nicol said. "He worked with us whenever he could."

The mother and grandmother who will occupy the home was also busy helping others, according to Kristi Blankenship of Schererville, Ind. Blankenship learned about the trip from her sister, Mindy Bradford, a Deerfield resident who is also a member of the church who went on the journey.

Blankenship talked about how the future homeowner was collecting money for some of her neighbors.

"That's the poor giving to the poorer," Blankenship said. "That was something for my kids to see," she added referring to her teenage daughters who came along to help build.

"They're helping other people, not just their own kids," Nicol added referring to the home recipients

This is the first trip to Tennessee for members of Christ Church, but not the first time they have built homes in Appalachia, according to Roots.

Blankenship said she had talked to her sister in the past about going along but spring break did not always coincide. This time it did.

"We do small service projects here," Blankenship said. "I wanted them to be able to help people on a larger scale. This was much more immersed."

Members of the group also came from Highland Park, Highwood, Lincolnshire, Grayslake and Wheeling.